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1979
Mrs. Ruth G. Van Cleve
Director
Office of Territorial Affairs
Department of the Interior
Washington,
Dear Mrs.
D.C.
20240
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Van Cleve:
This is in reply to your letter of July 20, 1979, regarding a meeting
with Dr. Bruce Wachholz, Dr. Hugh Pratt, Mr. George Milner, and Mr. John
GeYoung, about the proposed medical survey of the people of Likiep Atoll.
I will answer your questions as presented.
We have found nothing to indicate that files containing materials related
to Rongelap and Utirik exposed populations have been destroyed, but the
Attorney General will be meeting with Anton DeBrum in mid-August,
at
which time additional information will be gathered and forwarded to your
office.
Our information indicates the most comprehensive reports on
medical information regarding the exposed Rongelap and Utirik people are
contained in those which were prepared annually by the Brookhaven National
Laboratory, which is in Upton, New York.
The Bureau of Health Services
has copies of these reports dating back to 1955.
The latest report, however, is for calendar year 1975, which reviews the twenty-year medical
findings of the people of Rongelap and Utirik.
The Brookhaven National
Laboratory has not sent us reports for 1976, 1977 and 1978.
Regarding the statement made by Mr. Anton DeBrum that there have been a
Significant number of medical referrals to Guam Naval Hospital, Tripler
Army Hospital, and a special clinic in Honolulu, of people of the Northern
Marshalls for thyroid abnormalities and cancer, attached is a record of
all thyroid cases which have been discharged from the Majuro Hospital
over a five-year period, from 1973 to 1977.
The record does reflect an
increase in the number of cases from two to four between 1974 and 1975,
and e further increase in 1977 to six cases.
However, the increase may
not be statistically significant because in any community with a small
population, as is the case with most groups of isjJands in the Trust
Territory, rates of diseases which are rare and chronic, such as thyroid
abnormalities, often fluctuate from year to year.
In order to get a
more accurate indication on this type of disease, five-year data is
usually used for calculations in order to obtain more reliable information.
gums
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